Creativity is non-acceptance, wonder, rebellion
With creative writing, and even with art and photography, a text or work can be more powerful if it shows the thing (the person, event, issue, landscape) without directly mentioning it. It's not just about leaving room for the imagination, but about adding depth by going beyond the obvious. Subtext and hinting is expressive and... Continue Reading →
Why the hero of my latest novel is an old woman refugee “I like it when a flower or a little tuft of grass grows through a crack in the concrete. It's so fuckin' heroic.” ― George Carlin “No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them. Nobody is going... Continue Reading →
Three writing exercises to help face difficult times, injustice, anger, and the news.
I wonder what the tiny hummingbirds and pink-white bougainvillea trees and lizard babies with their wide, searching eyes think of the country run by organised crime and transnationals when they stumble upon disappeared activists hidden in wells bought judges, dead rivers, industrial towns and zombied shoppers what kind of ecosystem do they think they have... Continue Reading →
On my last day in Marrakech, I went to a cultural space to the south of the Medina. There was Saharan music at 7pm, and I got there just before and ordered some food. The sun was setting, so I went up to the roof and took photos. A woman was on another nearby roof... Continue Reading →
The greater our level of involvement in a project or endeavour - whether it's writing a novel, championing a movement, making home improvements, or even raising children - the more challenging it becomes to perceive our work objectively. When we get to a point where we have been working on the project for a very... Continue Reading →
With the pressure to get all the many many tasks done and with most people writing on the side, on top of actual paid work, it can be very easy to slip into task mode as well while writing. We only have an hour or two and we want to get as much done as... Continue Reading →
Like everything with writing, creating powerful metaphors comes with lots of practice, and more hard work and crappy writing than most people are comfortable with. Metaphors are not spontaneous bursts of genius.
Following on from my post on the importance of creativity to everyday life and to struggle, here are some activities you, your workplace, family, organisation, or other types of groups can try. These tools can help you generate ideas when you are at a loss for how to solve a problem, or they can help... Continue Reading →
When I was living in Venezuela, I struggled to write creatively about it. Instead, my first novel was set in my home country of Australia. The novel I’m working on now is set in nearby Mexico City rather than Puebla, where I live. It’s a great set up, because I visit Mexico City enough to... Continue Reading →
Jorge Madrid is a Honduran activist whose opposition to current right-wing president Juan Orlando Hernández saw him receiving death threats and having to flee the country. He was also a student leader when then President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown by a coup in 2009. He says the stealing of the elections in 2017 and direct... Continue Reading →
When I can settle down into a book, I feel like someone who has been running frantically for days and is finally home. Reading is one of the most fulfilling things I do, and it is easy – no transport or planning necessary. Yet after a long, exhausting day of work, I often find that... Continue Reading →
How many mind-blowing, thought-provoking and beautiful books or films can you think of that were created while trying to please others? Doesn't the most impactful, memorable writing boldly challenge the status quo, play with aesthetics, and startle us instead? Here are some reasons why writers should steer clear of pleasing others: 1) When a writer... Continue Reading →
The battle against depression (short or long term) has many fronts, including, in my opinion, the battle for a humanity and environment-first world where we are less alienated at work and among each other. But what makes writing such a powerful tool for both personal and political problems (which are invariably linked) is that we... Continue Reading →
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potty series, was asked by her publisher Barry Kunningham to use just her initials (she made up the K), as he thought boys might be wary of a book written by a woman. Many people assume that Harper Lee is a man, Charlotte Bronte originally published as Currer Bell... Continue Reading →
Creativity is, in essence, new ideas, new ways of seeing things, new combinations of old things. Sometimes when we're writing - articles, novels, stories, songs etc - it can be hard to chill and get into a creative frame of mind. The following super-quick exercises can be helpful in opening you up to new ideas... Continue Reading →
Today is a tough day. I'm dealing with stuff and there's a tight knot in my chest and work is taking twice as long because my concentration is off, to put it mildly. There is worry crying out from behind my head, knocking on my door, demanding attention - but it'll only make things... Continue Reading →
resistance words 